The Portsmouth Herald: Survey: N.H. Small Businesses Say Health Care Reform A Must

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The Portsmouth Herald: Survey: N.H. Small Businesses Say Health Care Reform A Must

The fight for health care reform isn't solely a political battle of speed and content in Washington, D.C. According to a recent survey of 200 small business owners in New Hampshire, more than 75 percent of responders said health care reform is important to getting the economy back on track.

The state-wide survey was one of 14 conducted throughout the country during the past two months by Small Business Majority, a non-partisan, national small business advocacy organization that focuses on health care reform. The survey concluded that health insurance affordability continues to be a major issue for small business owners, and controlling costs is a top priority. The 84 percent of small businesses in New Hampshire not offering health insurance to their employees say it is unaffordable, while 76 percent of those who do offer insurance are struggling to provide it.

Findings
Read the complete New Hampshire survey findings on health care reform attitudes of small business owners at www.smallbusinessmajority.org/sbmresearch.php.
Altogether, 48 percent of New Hampshire small businesses offer some form of health insurance, which is higher than the national average of 42 percent.

In a conference call with New Hampshire reporters, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., said "the survey is reinforcing and putting numbers to the stories I hear." As the percentage of small businesses not offering health insurance continues to rise along with health care costs, Shea-Porter emphasized the economic imperative of health care reform for small businesses.

"We simply must help them," Shea-Porter said. "They are the cornerstone of our community."

The respondents identified themselves as 41 percent Republican, 19 percent Democrat and 33 percent politically independent. The report found 75 percent of small-businesspeople support having the option of a private or public health insurance plan as part of health care reform, and that 68 percent believed reform should emerge with shared responsibility for making coverage affordable among individuals, employers, insurers, the government and health care providers.

"Our company is a lot like a family. One of our responsibilities is to provide the best health insurance we can afford," said Robert Gogolen, the owner of EMF Inc., a 13-employee information technology business in Keene. "The health insurance status quo puts that in jeopardy and, I believe, is not sustainable."

Gogolen said he has been an advocate for health care reform for more than a decade and has become increasingly so as his health insurance premium costs have risen to as much as 22 percent, which has forced him to downgrade the amount and extent of coverage. He said small business owners like himself aren't seeing insurance industry competition and that reform will only help them give their employees affordable coverage and create a more level economic playing field.

"Something has to get done and we hope it gets done soon," Gogolen said.

"Small business owners aren't shirking their responsibility where health care is concerned," said John Arensmeyer, the founder and chief executive officer of Small Business Majority. "They feel a responsibility to provide health care for their employees and are willing to do their part in fixing our broken system."

The survey showed a strong preference for reforming the current system rather than rebuilding a new one. Only 8 percent want to replace the current system with government-provided health care, also known as single payer, while only 16 percent want to leave things as they are with no government involvement.

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